The K-pop groups featuring Korean traditions – hanbok dress, lion dancers, music – in their videos, from BTS and Blackpink to Stray Kids and Exo’s Kai
- Exo’s Kai released Peaches recently, and in the music video he was wearing an outfit that was a mix of traditional hanbok and modern fashion
- Other K-pop groups, from BTS to Blackpink and Stray Kids, have also used traditional Korean cultural elements in their videos
On November 30, K-pop star Kai released Peaches, the title track of his second EP.
In the music video for the song, which had been viewed over 16 million times by December 3, the singer, born Kim Jong-in, wore a mix of high-fashion looks and traditional Korean dress, in the latest hanbok-meets-K-pop collaboration.
Kai, a member of the popular boy band EXO, is far from the only K-pop star to gravitate towards featuring Korea’s cultural heritage in his music videos.
Here are some other prominent recent examples.
VIXX Shangri-La (2017)
Considered to have started the recent trend, VIXX’s Shangri-La blended traditional outfits and fan dances with modern choreography and an ambient setting. The music video, and the band’s live performances, garnered a lot of attention, and they ended up performing during the opening events of the 2018 Winter Olympics, hosted by South Korea.
BTS Idol (2018)
The music video for BTS’ 2018 single, which featured Nicki Minaj in one version, created a colourful, upbeat take on traditional venues and clothing, with traditional lion dancers and other elements showing up.
Other BTS music videos, including Suga’s 2020 single Daechwita, performed under his Agust D stage name, have also leaned into the band’s cultural heritage.
Blackpink How You Like That (2020)
In this bright and fiery music video, the fierce female quartet wore eccentric, modernised takes on hanbok, bringing attention to brands like Danha, which, along with Leesle and other South Korean fashion houses, are reimagining historical fashion elements for 21st century sensibilities.
ACE Goblin (Favorite Boys) (2020)
Inspired by dokkaebi, mythical goblins common in Korean folklore, this 2020 music video from ACE featured the boy band’s members bringing themes of the past to the present.
(G)I-dle Hwaa (2021)
Stray Kids Thunderous (2021)
Oneus Luna (2021)
Taking the trend one step further, fans of Oneus noticed that their culturally oriented release Luna didn’t feature a single word of English in its lyrics – to the extent that the non-Korean title is not mentioned once in the song.
